By Ashley Repp

News Desk Reporter, Africa

JOHANNESBURG– South Africa

In just over a month, two highly publicized instances of the use of black face have rocked South Africa, and embroiled the nation in a debate over current race relations, and the cultural prejudices these episodes reveal. In both of the cases, photos of the costumes were posted to social media. But the cases are unique in the specific issues they expose.

Photo: Two university students in blackface- courtesy of Aljazeera

The first case involved two female students at the University of Pretoria, who dressed up for a party as black domestic workers. The students were dressed for a private birthday party, but because the photo was taken on school grounds, the university took action, and dismissed the girls from the residence halls. And while this was action to an extent, the photo provoked discourse underlying deep-seated race tensions in a nation that has a not so distant apartheid past. Many South Africans criticized the students on social media, asserting that while they “mock” the domestic worker, she is likely the one that raised them, and that this photo was racist to the extreme. The photo also called South Africans to reflect on jobs, and how those are often dependent on race. The domestic worker, for example, is a black woman who runs a wealthy white household, often tending to cleaning, cooking, and child care. These workers also earn very little. The Commander in Chief of Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema,also announced that the organization would trade blackface for land, since black South Africans often do not, or unable to own land. In his statement, he noted “Come now… you can’t pretend to be black and own land.”

The second photo involved two students dressed as Venus and Serena Williams. The students claimed that there was no malicious intent behind the costumes and they regret their decision to wear them. After investigation, chose not to discipline the students further.

The photos call to the forefront racist paradigms that still operate in South Africa, leaving many to think that in some ways, the nation has not moved far beyond the apartheid system that governed social, cultural, and economic systems just two decades ago. Will these photos provide the impetus for honest dialogue regarding deeply held prejudices on both sides, both white and black, as well as the systemic features that maintain white dominance in many ways, or will the photos further divide the nation along racial lines?

 

For more information, please visit:

Aljazeera- South African college in ‘blackface’ scandal– 27 Sept. 2014

Aljazeera- South African students in blackface receive backlash, punishment– 6 Aug. 2014

All Africa- South Africa: Malema offers blackface in exchange for land– 29 Sept. 2014

New York Post- Students who wore blackface to portray Venus and Serena accused of racism– 26 Sept. 2014